where should we eat our first night

[twebber55]

arriving on june 5 but wont check in until june 6..so where should we eat dinner saturday night? downtown disney like planet hollywood or off site like Unos

 

[disneydee6]

I say do downtown disney. There are some really good restaurants here. Earl of Sandwich, Wolfgang Puck Express, Ragland Road are all pretty good. And after you can go shopping and grab some ghiradelli. I can tell you that from my experience, planet hollywood isn't bad, but VERY noisy.
Or if you don't need to stay in disney (assuming you have a car or something...) you can always go to citywalk in universal. They have margaritaville, Emerils, and lots of other restaurants to choose from.

 

[hushupu]

I would suggest off site like Applebees or someplace like that. It's a lot cheaper than dining on site and we usually find we are to tired from the travel to really enjoy the first meal

 

[Dizneydaz]

Depends-if you want to start experiencing the magic-I say go to DTD-Personally we really like Wolfgang Puck and Raglan Road for Table Service. We also really like Wolfgang Puck Express-we prefer the one closest to Disney Quest over the other location.

You could also eat at one of the Disney Resort Food Courts. Another great start to get into the magic. All you have to do is tell the guard you are eating there. They'll let you in. There are also some great TS restaurants in the resorts you could try.

If we get early enough for dinner on our first night, we will go to Kona at Poly.

 

[StrwLady]

I vote for Downtown Disney. If you have kids with you try TRex. My son loved it. Wolfgang Puck's is great too. If you are looking for counter service try Earl of Sandwich. They have great sandwiches

 

[twebber55]

I vote for Downtown Disney. If you have kids with you try TRex. My son loved it. Wolfgang Puck's is great too. If you are looking for counter service try Earl of Sandwich. They have great sandwiches

there are 11 of us.. seems like i read you can call Trex itself the day of and get a ressie? is this true

 

[twebber55]

I vote for Downtown Disney. If you have kids with you try TRex. My son loved it. Wolfgang Puck's is great too. If you are looking for counter service try Earl of Sandwich. They have great sandwiches

there are 11 of us.. seems like i read you can call Trex itself the day of and get a ressie? is this true
sorry for the repost. i also should have mentioned we are on the dining plan and our crew loves WPE so we probably will wait until we check in to devour WPE....

 

[bluejasmine]

We normally arrive the night before we check in to our WDW resort and we do something at DTD like Trex, Ragland Road or WGPE, b/c you can still experience some of that disney magic by walking around DTD.

If you would rather not do DTD that night I say go to a resort TS like Ohana, Whisphering Canyon, or even a charachter meal like Chef Mickeys or 1900 Park Fare that you dont need park admission to!

 

[disneydee6]

Eating at one of the resorts is also another great option for your family. Try a restaurant at the Boardwalk and enjoy the scenery (or eat at Beach/Yacht Club and head over to the boardwalk later on...). Or head to a resort you normally would not have gone to Grand Floridian or Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge and explore! Lots of options

 

[Cat0727]

Downtown Disney - you can go to Earl of Sandwich or Wolfgang Puck Express. Or you can eat on the Boardwalk, they have a bunch of great restaurants there

 

[Scrappy_Tink]

I really like Planet Hollywood, but as already mentioned, it's so LOUD....you really can't even hold a decent conversation. I really like the Rainforest Cafe, the atmosphere is cool, and the food isn't bad. Off site, there's a Chili's that's pretty close, which is my fav. We went there for lunch one day while we were staying at the Boardwalk, I don't think it was any more than 5 minutes away.

 

[abubu919]

DTD has some great options, but I would say Unos. I love that place and it is pretty good pricing before you head into Disney

 

[septbaby]

I'd do an offsite buffet. Something for everyone, easy to be seated and you can just show up. You'll have lots of ressies given that you are on the DP, so keep this night loose and easy.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

there are 11 of us.. seems like i read you can call Trex itself the day of and get a ressie? is this true
sorry for the repost. i also should have mentioned we are on the dining plan and our crew loves WPE so we probably will wait until we check in to devour WPE....

1) yes, you can call T-Rex directly - and it is easier than booking T-Rex through Disney. Disney booking system doesn't always show everything that is available at T-Rex since they are independent.

2) T-Rex is not on the dining plan so if you want to save money but still get the experience, eat dinner at Earl of Sandwich and go to T-Rex and order like 2-3 deserts for the entire party. You'll get to be in the restaurant eating vs. just passign through. It is a really neat atmosphere.

 

[septbaby]

While I think eating at Trex the evening you are off the DP is a great idea, I'm not sure it is a smart idea for your party. Not sure how you are travelling, but if its been a long travel day with a big group Trex is kind of loud and busy. It may be irritating rather than fun for the group; not a magical way to start the trip.

You know the group and your logistics, so just choose carefully.

 

[scot@dvcstore]

I think you would enjoy Wolfgang Pucks at DTD. Great meal then you can walk around DTD and enjoy the rest of the evening. Enjoy your trip.

 

[beroh2253]

Our arrival day restaurant for the last 4 trips has been San Angle, then we are there to see Illuninations at Germany with a nice big German brew.

 

[kbeam]

We always go to Fulton's at DTD. If it's lunch, we love sitting outside with a glass of Pinot and cold seafood platter. If it's dinner, inside is great and lively. We like kicking off our Disney trip with a nice table service meal AT Disney...onsite. With a party of 11, it might be wise to have a reservation somewhere. This way, you won't have to wait forever, and the large table should already be set up and ready for you.

 

[VAN]

There are some wonderful, themed off-site restaurants; e.g. Joe's Crab Shack, Kobe Steak House/Habachi, Bahama Breeze, Chevy's, etc.

I'd plan on going to one of those. You will find they are less expensive but will also give you that "I'm on Vacation!" feel.

 

[jakenjess]

We had a large group our last trip, and we started off with dinner at Raglan Road. It was a great kick-off to the vacation!